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Jackson Flat Reservoir Paved Bike Trail
Just south of Kanab, there's a paved trail that circles completely
around Jackson Flat Reservoir. The trail is popular with road bikers,
biking families, hikers, and dog-walkers.
View north from the dike. Photos and review by Bruce
on November 13, 2022.
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| The loop is 3.6 miles around. The riding surface is asphalt around 8 feet in width. Most of the trail is flat, but there's a bit of
a hill on the southern end. Kids with riding experience should be
able to handle the slopes.
On the east side of the lake, riding
counterclockwise.
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(1) Jackson Flat Reservoir park trailhead. Go 2.7 miles
south from the US 89-89A split on 89A, turn left on the reservoir road, then left again
in 1/3 mile for the
road to the park. Here you find the main parking area with water and
bathrooms, shaded picnic area, and a sandy play zone.
(2) Reservoir Road parking. A gravel road forms a semi-circle on
the east and northern sides of the lake. The entrance is 0.9 miles from
US-89 if you keep straight at the road fork to the park. On the
gravel road there are occasional parking strips with
port-a-potties. You can step across to the trail.
(3) Paved access trail. There's a 1.2 mile paved trail from 1000
East in Kanab that joins the northern end of the loop around the lake.
There's some primitive gravel parking at the northern end of the paved trail.
Bathrooms and picnic facilities at the Jackson Flat
Reservoir park. |
Jackson Flat Reservoir Bike Trail |
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From inside the main parking lot, find the paved trail that
circles on the outside. West takes you immediately onto the dam, while
east takes you over a low hill to the eastern side of the lake.
At the loop's northeast corner, we're enjoying the
views of Kanab's sandstone cliffs. |
| The lake is visible for almost all of the 3.6 miles. On my
ride, I saw several herons and lots of coots, grebes, and ducks.
Crossing the dike while riding clockwise.
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There's one out-and-back spur to a scenic point on the
northern side of the lake, and a shortcut on the eastern side that
bypasses a meander of the trail. See the map. The other trail fork is the junction with the paved connector trail at
the northeastern corner of the loop. The connector goes 1.2 miles north to
end on city streets. Getting to the top of the connector from Kanab's
streets isn't straightforward. Use your map app to look for 1000 East 1100
South to find your way there.
Looking north (toward Kanab) on the connector trail.
If you're heading to the paved loop by bike, this is a better option than
playing with the traffic on US-89A. |
Bottom Line:
Very pretty ride. Lots of fun for families with biking kids. Excellent
facilities (including regular doggie-bag dispensers), and the area seems
well cared-for. It's worth doing if you're staying in Kanab with a bike.
Looking west over the lake.
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Getting there: In Kanab, head southbound on US 89A.
After 2.7 miles, turn left (east) on the Jackson Flat Reservoir road (also
called Landfill Road). After 0.4 miles, turn left again and follow the
larger paved road to the right when it splits from Landfill Road at a T
intersection. The road will arrive at a large parking area, with boat
ramp, bathrooms, picnic area, and recreation facilities. The paved Jackson
Flat bike trail circles around the parking lot -- you drove across it as
you entered.
Alternate parking: As you turn onto the reservoir road from 89A,
continue up Kaneplex Drive to mile 0.9 and turn left at the Reservoir Road
sign. This gravel road circles around to the north side of the reservoir,
with several spots offering parking with port-a-potties and a hike-a-bike
route to the paved trail.
City connector paved trail: Route #1. On US-89 eastbound,
0.5 miles east of where 89A splits off, turn right onto Chinle Drive (old
US 89). Turn right again on 1000 East and find the trailhead on the left
side of the road after around 1/10th mile.
Route #2. Get onto US-89A southbound. Drive 0.7 miles and turn left onto
1100 South. Drive 0.8 miles and turn left on 1000 East. After around
1/10th mile, turn right into a gravel parking area. |
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